CIVIL WAR WIA GETTYSBURG MEDAL HONOR MAJOR GENERAL SICKLES STOCK DOCUMENT SIGNED

Description

Here’s a Document Signed by Civil War WIA Medal of Honor Major General who Lost a Leg at Gettysburg
!
DANIEL SICKLES
“Devil Dan”
(
1819 – 1914
)
CIVIL WAR UNION FULL MAJOR
USV 1862-1865, IN COMMAND OF THE EXCELSIOR BRIGADE and II CORPS, LEADING HIS COMMAND AT THE BATTLES OF FREDERICKSBURG, CHANCELLORSVILLE, and GETTYSBURG, WHERE HE LOST HIS RIGHT LEG ON JULY 2, 1863, BY A 12-POUND CANNON BALL SHOT WHILE ON HORSEBACK,
RECIPIENT OF THE CIVIL WAR CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
FOR MOST DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY IN ACTION AT GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA ON JULY 2, 1863 DIPLAYED ON THE FIELD BOTH BEFORE and AFTER THE LOSS OF HIS LEG WHILE SERVING AS MAJOR GENERAL OF VOLUNTEERS COMMANDING THE 3
rd
ARMY CORPS,
CIVIL WAR UNION FULL BRIGADIER GENERAL
USV 1861-1862, LEADING HIS COMMAND IN THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN and SEVEN DAYS BATTLES,
CIVIL WAR BVT MAJOR GENERAL, USV
FOR GALLANT and MERITORIOUS SERVICE IN THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, PENNNSYLVANIA,
CIVIL WAR BVT BRIGADIER GENERAL, USV
FOR GALLANT and MERITORIOUS SERVICES IN THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG, VURGINIA,
COLONEL
and COMMANDER OF THE ‘
HARD-FIGHTING
’ 70
th
NEW YORK INFANTRY IN 1861, LEADING HIS REGIMENT AT THE BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG,
ANTEBELLUM and POST-CIVIL WAR US DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONGRESSMAN
FROM NEW YORK 1857-1861 and 1893-1895, WHERE HE HELPED PASS LEGISLATION TO PRESERVE THE
GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD
,
US MINISTER TO SPAIN 1869-1874, APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT ULYSSES S. GRANT
-&-
FOUND “
NOT GUILTY”
OF THE MURDER OF PHILIP BARTON KEY II (HIS WIFE’S LOVER),
BY A JURY OF HIS PEERS, MARKING THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL USE OF THE PLEA OF
“TEMPORARY INSANITY”
TO ESCAPE A MURDER CHARGE IN U.S. LEGAL HISTORY
!
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HERE’S A “UNIVERSAL TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK” STOCK CERTIFICATE SIGNED BY SICKLES AS PRESIDENT OF THE Co. –
10
SHARES OF
“CLASS H”
STOCK PURCHASED BY A. H. F. SEEGER AT NEWBURGH, NY.
The document measures 13¾” x 10¼” and is in VF condition.
The Document comes with the biographical information pictured in the listing photos.
<>
BIOGRAPHY OF
DANIEL EDGAR SICKLES
Daniel Edgar Sickles
(October 20, 1819 – May 3, 1914) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat.
Born to a wealthy family in
New York City
, Sickles was involved in a number of scandals, most notably the 1859 homicide of his wife's lover, U.S. Attorney
Philip Barton Key II
, whom Sickles gunned down in broad daylight in
Lafayette Square
, across the street from the
White House
. He was acquitted after using
temporary insanity
as a legal defense for the first time in United States history.
Upon the outbreak of the
American Civil War
in 1861, Sickles became one of the war's most prominent
political generals
, recruiting the New York regiments that became known as the
Excelsior Brigade
in the
Army of the Potomac
. Despite his lack of military experience, he served as a brigade, division, and corps commander in some of the early
Eastern campaigns
.
His War Between the States military career ended at the
Battle of Gettysburg
in July 1863, after he moved his
III Corps
without orders to an untenable position, where they suffered 40% casualties but slowed General
James Longstreet
's flanking maneuver. Sickles himself was wounded by cannon fire at Gettysburg and had to have
his leg amputated
. He was eventually awarded the
Medal of Honor
for his actions.
Sickles devoted considerable effort to trying to gain credit for helping achieve the Union victory at Gettysburg, writing articles and testifying before Congress in a manner that denigrated the intentions and actions of his superior officer, Maj. Gen.
George Meade
.
After the war, Sickles was appointed as a commander for military districts in the South during
Reconstruction
. He also served as
U.S. Minister to Spain
under President
Ulysses S. Grant
. Later he was re-elected to Congress, where he helped pass legislation to preserve the
Gettysburg Battlefield
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CIVIL WAR SERVICE SUMMARY
DANIEL EDGAR SICKLES
Residence
New York City
NY; a 39 year-old Lawyer.
Enlisted on 6/29/1861 at New York City, NY as a Colonel.
On 6/29/1861 he was commissioned into Field & Staff
NY 70th Infantry
He was discharged for promotion on 9/3/1861
On 9/3/1861 he was commissioned into
US Volunteers General Staff
He was Mustered Out on 1/1/1868
(Subsequent service in US Army until retiring 04/14/1869)
He was listed as:
Wounded 7/2/1863 Gettysburg, PA (Severe wound in right leg, amputated)
Promotions:
Brig-General 9/3/1861
Major-Gen 11/29/1862
Brig-General 3/13/1865 by Brevet
Major-Gen 3/2/1867 by Brevet
Other Information:
born 10/20/1819 in New York City, NY
died 5/3/1914 in New York, NY
Medal of Honor Information:
He was awarded the Medal of Honor
for action on 7/2/1863 at Gettysburg, PA.
(Displayed most conspicuous gallantry on the field)
Sources:
- New York:
Report of the Adjutant-General 1893-1906
- Dyer: A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- Heitman: Register of United States Army 1789-1903
- Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue
- Deeds of Valor.
How our Soldier-heroes won the Medal of Honor
- Medal of Honor Recipients 1863-1994
- The Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War
DANIEL EDGAR SICKLES
Maj.-Gen. Daniel E. Sickles was born in the city of New
York, Oct. 20, 1819, his parents being George G. and Susan
(Marsh) Sickles.
He was educated in the University of New
York, after which he learned the printer's trade and followed
that occupation for a few years.
He then took up the study of
law, was admitted to the bar in 1846, and began the practice
of his profession in his native city.
He soon became active
in politics and held a prominent place in the councils of
Tammany Hall.
In 1857 he was elected to the legislature and
about the same time was commissioned major of the 12th
regiment, N. G. S. N. Y.
In 1853 he was made attorney for the
city, but resigned to become secretary of the legation in
London.
In 1855 he returned to New York; was elected to the
state senate in 1856, and to Congress in 1857.
When the Civil
war broke out he raised the Excelsior brigade, which in the
Peninsular campaign of 1862 was the 2nd brigade, 2nd division,
3d army corps, and distinguished itself at Williamsburg, Fair
Oaks and in the Seven Days' battles.
Gen. Sickles took a
prominent part in the battle of Antietam, soon after which he
became commander of a division.
In 1863 he was made a major-
general and assigned to the command of the 3d corps.
At
Gettysburg he lost a leg but continued in active service until
1865.
In 1865 he was assigned to the command of the military
department of the South and the same year went on a
confidential mission to South America.
In 1866 he was
appointed colonel of the 42nd U. S. infantry and assigned to
the command of the district composed of the Carolinas.
In
1866 he was appointed minister to Holland, but declined.
In
1869 he was retired with the full rank of major-general and
the same year declined the mission to Mexico, but accepted an
appointment to Spain, where he served as U. S. minister until
1873.
For several years he was president of the state board
of civil service commissioners; was elected sheriff of New
York in 1890; served in the lower house of Congress from 1892
to 1894, and was active in the reorganization of the New York,
Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company.
He still lives in New
York, practically retired from the active duties and cares of
life, though he still takes a keen interest in all questions
of public policy.
Source:
The Union Army, vol. 8
Biographical/Career Outline:
Daniel Sickles was the only child of George Garrett Sickles and Susan (Marsh) Sickles.
Daniel Edgar Sickles left school at the age of sixteen to become a printer’s apprentice.
With the assistance of Charles Da Ponte, Daniel Sickles obtained a scholarship to the University of the City of New York where he studied law.
Daniel Sickles studied law with Benjamin Butler and was admitted to the New York bar in 1846.
After becoming a successful attorney specializing in corporate law, Daniel Sickles joined the Democratic Party and became a prominent figure in Tammany Hall, the party’s New York political machine.
In 1847, Daniel Sickles represented New York County for one term in the New York State Assembly.
Early in his adult life, Daniel Sickles also developed a reputation as a gambler, womanizer, and high-liver.
Daniel Sickles married visibly pregnant, seventeen-year-old Teresa Da Ponte Bagioli on September 27, 1852. Their only child, Laura Buchanan Sickles, was born seven months later.
In 1854 Daniel Sickles was in London serving secretary to James Buchanan, U.S. Minister to Great Britain.
In 1855, voters in New York’s third district elected Daniel Sickles to a term in the New York State Senate, where he served from 1856 to 1857.
In 1856, voters in New York’s third district elected Daniel Sickles to the first of two successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives 35th Congress (March 4, 1857 to March 4, 1859) and 36th Congress (March 4, 1859 to March 4, 1861).
On February 27, 1859, Daniel Sickles murdered Philip Barton Key II, who was having an affair with Sickles’ wife.
On April 26, 1859, a jury found Daniel Sickles not guilty of murder, marking the first successful use of the plea of temporary insanity to escape a murder charge in U.S. legal history.
After the Civil War began, Daniel Sickles was instrumental in raising four regiments of troops (70th, 72nd, 73rd, and 74th New York Infantry) that were collectively known as the Excelsior Brigade.
June 20, 1861, Daniel Sickles was selected colonel of the 70th Regiment.
On December 5, 1861, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 106 promoting Daniel Sickles to the rank of brigadier general, but the Senate refused to confirm his appointment.
On May 13, 1862 the U.S. Senate approved Daniel Sickles’ appointment to brigadier general by a vote of 19 to 18. On June 10, 1862 the War Department issued General Orders, No. 63 announcing Sickles’ appointment, to date from March 20, 1862.
Commanding the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Daniel Sickles was engaged at the Battle of Seven Pines (May 31 – June 1, 1862) and the Seven Days Battles (June 25 – July 1, 1862) during the Peninsula Campaign.
During the Northern Virginia Campaign, Daniel Sickles was on recruiting duty in New York and did not see action at the Second Battle of Bull Run (August 28–30, 1862).
On November 29, 1862, Daniel Sickles was appointed to the rank of major general. His promotion and Senate confirmation were officially announced by the War Department ten months later (General Orders, No. 316, September 18, 1863).
On February 5, 1863, Major General Joseph Hooker issued General Orders, No. 6 (Army of the Potomac) reorganizing the army and naming Daniel Sickles to command the 3rd Army Corps even though the Senate had yet to confirm his appointment as a major general.
On April 15, 1863, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 96 announcing that President Lincoln confirmed Daniel Sickles’ appointment to command the 3rd Army Corps on a permanent basis.
The debauchery of Joseph Hooker and Daniel Sickles during the winter of 1863 prompted some of their fellow officers to compare the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac to “a combination of bar-room and brothel.”
At the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 – May 6, 1863), Daniel Sickles launched an assault against a column of Rebel soldiers that created a gap in the Federal lines that enabled Stonewall Jackson’s forces to overrun the 11th Corps.
During the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 – July 3, 1863), Daniel Sickles disobeyed the orders of Major General George G. Meade, exposing his corps to a Confederate assault that resulted in over 4,000 casualties among the roughly 10,000 soldiers Sickles commanded.
During the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 – July 3, 1863), a Confederate cannonball struck Daniel Sickles’ right leg, on July 2, 1863, forcing its amputation and the evacuation of the injured general from the field.
Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Daniel Sickles engaged in a smear campaign against Major General George G. Meade that led to his testimony against Meade before the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War in the spring of 1864.
In October 1863, Major General George G. Meade and Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant declined Daniel Sickles’ request to resume command of the 3rd Corps on the grounds that he was unfit for combat duty.
After the Civil War, Daniel Sickles remained in the army during Reconstruction.
In 1866, Sickles received an appointment as a colonel in the regular army with the 42nd U.S. Infantry (Veteran Reserve Corps).
In 1867, Daniel Sickles’ wife died.
On March 10, 1867, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 10 assigning Daniel Sickles to command the 2nd Military District in the South. Sickles assumed command on March 21, 1867.
On July 28, 1868, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 55, assigning Daniel Sickles to command the Department of the South.
Daniel Sickles was mustered out of volunteer service on January 1, 1868, with the rank of major general.
In 1869 Sickles retired from the military to accept an appointment as U.S. Minister to Spain.
On November 27, 1871, Daniel Sickles married Caroline de Creagh, in Madrid, Spain.
While living in Europe, Daniel Sickles indulged in numerous affairs, the most notorious of which was with the deposed Spanish Queen Isabella II who was in exile in Paris.
In 1873, Sickles was forced to abandon his ministerial role following a dispute with Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. Living in Paris for the next few years, his wife bore him a daughter and a son.
From 1888 to 1889, Daniel Sickles served as president of the New York State Board of Civil Service Commissioners, followed by a term as sheriff of New York in 1890.
In 1892, voters from New York’s 53rd Congressional district elected Daniel Sickles to a term in the House of Representatives, where he served in the 54th Congress from 1893 to 1895.
In 1897, Daniel Sickles’ political allies in the 55th Congress awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Gettysburg, more than thirty years after that engagement.
As one of the last surviving general officers of the Civil War, Daniel Sickles played a prominent role in preservation efforts at the Gettysburg battlefield site.
Daniel Sickles died of a cerebral hemorrhage, at the age of 94, in New York City on May 3, 1914.
Written by
Harry Searles
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